An embodiment of the invention generally relates to searching previously received telephony fax messages, which have been electronically stored in a database and are searchable by keyword. Other embodiments are also described.
Facsimile (fax) message services provide an easy method of securely transporting documents to distant locations without the need for large changes to communications infrastructure. Unlike electronic mail which requires an Internet connection, modern fax machines can operate over the Plain Old Telephone System (POTS) without the need for an additional service. Furthermore, fax protocols are not restricted to utilizing the POTS but instead can also utilize Fax Over IP (FOIP) technology. Thus, sending documents through fax machines is expected to remain a popular means of communication because the sending and receiving parties do not require modifications to their home communications infrastructure and instead can to use both old and modern networks. In addition, the parties have a reasonable level of assurance that the sent document was in fact received by the intended recipient and was not altered along the way by any unauthorized parties.
Modern fax messaging services, such as those operated by j2 Global Communications of Hollywood, Calif. use the Internet to provide even greater flexibility for subscribers to transmit and receive faxes. For example, with the j2 Global Send service, a subscriber attaches a document that is to be faxed to an email message, and addresses the email message to a j2 Global domain name, where the destination fax number appears as the prefix in the email address. The email is then sent, from the user's Internet connected computer, to the j2 Global internal data network where it is converted and then transmitted as a fax protocol transmission.
Fax messaging services may also include an inbound or receive service, where the subscriber is assigned a unique, direct inward dial (DID) telephone number, which the user distributes to others who wish to send a fax to the user. This telephone number is in effect the user's individual fax number. When an incoming fax is received at a particular DID number, a fax server network in the j2 Global internal network converts the received fax transmission into a format that is compatible with sending or accessing documents over the Internet. For example, an image file containing the received fax image may be attached to an email, which is then sent to the subscriber's email address. Another option for the subscriber is to log into a j2 Global website and then access a posted fax message on the website, where the fax message is stored in a virtual mailbox of the subscriber by j2 Global. In both cases, the image file is transferred over the Internet and may then be displayed on the user's Internet connected computer as the received fax transmission.
Although sending and receiving faxes involves a relatively simple set of tasks from a user standpoint, it is difficult for users who receive a large amount of fax transmissions to later find a particular fax document and extract information from it. A limitation of communication through fax machines is the complexity involved in organizing, storing and searching through a large set of received faxes. There has been a suggestion for fax capture technology that can operate in two modes. In an automatic mode, the fax device automatically, i.e. without user intervention, captures received facsimile or document data and transmits the data to a file management apparatus accessible over a network. In a manual mode, the fax device selectively captures and modifies received document data based upon additionally received external input data specified by the user. The FMA is said to provide document capture, archiving and indexing services to the network.